European Union adds six more airlines to 'blacklist'

2011-11-22 16:15:41 GMT+7 (ICT)

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- Six more airlines were added to the European Union's (EU) blacklist on Monday, banning them from operating in the union's 27 member states, officials said on Tuesday.

The European Commission added the six airlines to its list after several days of consultations because its aircraft operate in conditions below essential safety levels. One Angolan airline has been partially removed from the list and will be allowed to operate two more aircraft in the EU.

The updated European blacklist includes three Boeing 767 aircraft operated by Jordan Aviation and all aircraft from Rollins Air in Honduras. The Commission said it decided to ban Rollins Air after having received information from France, although it gave no specific details.

The list has also been updated to include four airlines which have recently been certified by the aviation authorities of three countries whose air carriers are fully banned in the EU. Those airlines are Equatorial Congo of the Republic of Congo, Stellar Airways of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Aero Majestic Airways and Interisland Airlines of the Philippines.

TAAG Angola Airlines, which had nine of its aircraft on the EU's blacklist, will now be allowed to operate its two modern Boeing 777-300 aircraft in the EU. The seven other aircraft, all Boeing aircraft, are still banned from operating in the European region.

Meanwhile, because of the increased cooperation from Albanian authorities to increase their aviation safety, the European Commission decided not to impose restrictions on Albanian air carriers until their next meeting.

"The Commission and the Air Safety Committee were very concerned with the performance of Albanian air carriers and their authorities," the Commission said.

However, the European authorities welcomed the formal commitment of Albanian authorities to employ full time qualified personnel to ensure the continuous surveillance of airlines under their regulatory authority and coupled with strong enforcement measures.

"Member States and in particular Italy have accepted to further enhance their ongoing cooperation with Albania by providing technical assistance focusing on improving oversight," the Commission added. It also noted and welcomed the recent revocation of Albanian Airlines' air operator's certificate and the removal of one aircraft from the fleet of Belle Air.

Currently, the EU's blacklist includes 273 known airlines whose operations are fully banned in the European Union.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-11-22

I'm waiting for them to ban airlines for serving water that claims to prevent dehydration.

Albanians...people you can rely on!

How Biman Bangladesh manage to stay off the list is a mystery to me...